How prepared are you for your next game? Another way to ask this question is how seriously do you take winning and losing?
Preparation takes many forms. Do you stretch your muscles? What is your strategy? How well do you know the style of your double’s partner? Are you mentally prepared? Do you take your warmup seriously?
Aldo, my tennis coach, emphasizes preparation; have a plan and if it is not working, fall back on what you know will work; that’s Plan B.
It is wise to be prepared.
Fr. Christian, a spiritual coach at St. Mary’s Episcopal in Stuart, Florida, spoke about a different kind of preparation.
If the bridesmaids mentioned in Matthew 25 were to play in a tennis match, five would be winners and five would fail miserably. Their role—their game plan—centered around being prepared for the coming of the groom. Preparation required that they enter their match with sufficient oil for their lamps, for the time the groom would arrive was uncertain. Five bridesmaids had sufficient oil and five did not. The five without oil (think of this as forgetting to bring their racket) basically forfeited the match.
The symbolism and message are clear. We are daily engaged in the match of true life—the abundant life—and that means being in constant preparation for the coming of Christ. What is your game plan, how are you prepared? Don’t forfeit this match.
